I Am No Fighter
by Kris009
Summary: On the road for months after a tragedy left her with nothing, Ayeera found herself in binds on her way to the headsman's block. A twist of fate freed her but is she ready?
1. A Bit of Misfortune

Opening her eyes Ayeera looked around.

The three men in binds were all Nords. Something didn't add up here. She tried to recall what had happened.

The last thing she remembered was shouting; cursing. She had been traveling, off the road, knowing full well the dangers she could run into on an open road. Faint cries had piqued her curiosity and drew her towards the road.

Imperial Legion soldiers came into view and they were surrounding lightly armored men and women but one of them stood out. A snapping of a twig had startled her and she swiftly turned her head. An armored hand caught her face and she blacked out.

* * *

"Woah, easy there lass. Can you hear me?"

Ayeera blinked a few more times and looked at the Nord sitting across from her. She nodded.

"Good. Though it seems a bit of misfortune landed you here."

"More than you know." She said under her breath. Her eyes saddened as she looked up at the distant mountains.

He was trying to make conversation but she wasn't thinking about her current situation. She was trying to piece together just how she had managed to go from one tragedy to another in just a few months. She had lived a quiet, simple life in a small village in Elsweyr. She was an upstanding citizen, never caused any trouble for anyone.

But being a good person apparently isn't enough to stop bandits from raiding villages, slaughtering decent people, and burning childhood memories to the ground. When it began some fought, some ran, and some hid. Though some had hid better than others. She was the only one to leave that blackened village. For the next few months she had drifted on the road, eventually finding herself in Skyrim and in her current predicament.

Ayeera brought herself back to the present and looked at the Nord sitting next to the blonde one. His face was bruised and covered in fear. She couldn't blame him, she too was confused and frightened. Surely they would realize she was not meant to be here.

He looked at her. "You there. You and me - we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." The blonde Nord said.

"I'm sure-" Ayeera began.

"Shut up back there." The cart driver called back.

They rode the rest of the way in silence.

When the cart finally stopped the realization that she was moments away from death set in. Her heart rate quickened, her breathing became shallow and staggered, and she couldn't stop blinking. The Stormcloak noticed her uneasiness and tried to calm her down. She tried her best to relax but she couldn't settle her nerves.

"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time." The Imperial Captain ordered.

The Legion soldier next to the Captain began calling out names. "Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm."

The man in the nice clothing stepped forward. "It has been an honor Jarl Ulfric." The Stormcloak prisoner said.

"Ralof of Riverwood." The soldier continued. "Lokir of Rorikstead."

"No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this."

Ayeera glanced over at him. _What's he going to do?_ She thought.

He took off running. The Captain ordered the archers to fire. The thief was taken down.

The soldier looked at her and then down at the list, then back at her. "You there step forward."

She did as she was told. Her whole body was trembling.

"Who are you?" He asked.

She tried to steady herself before speaking. "A...A..." She couldn't speak she was so scared.

"Are you with one of the trade caravans, Khajiit? Your kind always seems to find trouble."

She shook her head.

"Captain. What should we do? She's not on the list."

"Forget the list. She goes to the block, same as the rest."

At those words her eyes began to well up. Her fate was sealed then. There was no way out of this.

"I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Elsweyr." The soldier said trying to comfort her.

His words meant nothing to her. She had traveled for so long from one disaster to another. She wasn't religious by any means but she began to wonder that if the Divines truly watched over the people of Nirn then why was she about to be so wrongfully executed? Or was it simply bad luck? She guessed it didn't really matter one way or the other.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an echo from the sky.

"What was that?" The Imperial soldier asked.

"It's nothing. Carry on." The Imperial General answered.

"Yes General Tullius. Give them their last rites." The Captain ordered the priestess.

One of the Stormcloaks marched forward exclaiming his annoyance at the Imperials for taking too long. He stood before the block still taunting them. The captain pushed him to his knees and slammed his torso onto the block. The Stormcloak continued to insult them. The headsman brought his axe down and severed his head.

Ayeera closed her eyes wishing for it all to end. The wind picked up and a chill crept up her spine, she began to shiver. She had never felt so vulnerable, in all of her life, then she did at this moment.

"Next the cat." The Captain barked.

_Is that all I am to them? Just some stray cat they picked up on the side of the road?_

Another echo from the mountains. It was louder this time.

"There it is again. Did you hear that?" The soldier with the list asked.

"I said next prisoner."

"To the block prisoner. Nice and easy."

She couldn't contain her fear as she walked to the block. The captain showed no sympathy. She pushed her onto the block and Ayeera looked up at the headsman trying to look into his eyes.

She saw it before she heard it. A great black dragon flew out from behind the mountain. Her eyes opened wide. _What in Oblivion is going on?_


	2. A Fresh Start

"What in Oblivion is that?" The General shouted echoing her own thoughts.

Everyone started screaming.

The dragon landed on the tower right next to her and the force of it knocked over the headsman. It opened its maw and roared. Storm clouds rolled in and fire began to rain down from the sky.

She was still kneeling with her head on the block, in complete shock at what she was witnessing. Then she snapped back to reality.

Ralof was telling her to get up. She was disoriented. It was loud, walls and towers were crumbling. She saw an opening in a watchtower and ran for it. Inside was Ulfric and a few of his Stormcloaks.

"We need to get out of here. Up through the tower." Ralof said.

She followed him up and the dragon punched a hole into the tower with its head and fire erupted from its throat into the tower. It flew off.

"See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going. We'll follow when we can."

Ayeera hesitated but the thought of the tower crumbling down on top of her gave her the final bit of motivation. She jumped and landed safely in the inn. She turned around to see if Ralof followed but she couldn't see him through the smoke.

She kept moving. On the other side of the inn she met up with the Legion soldier. He was helping a boy get to safety.

"Still alive prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way."

Having no other option she followed him through the chaos. All the other soldiers were focused on killing the dragon but he was intent on getting her to safety. A body dropped from the sky and landed in front of her. She tripped over it and fell to the ground. Looking up at the sky she saw the dragon circling overhead. Terror gripped her mind and she got back on her feet and sprinted after the soldier.

"Out of my way!" He was shouting at the Stormcloak Ralof.

"We're escaping Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time."

"Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde."

"You! Come on into the keep." Ralof said looking at her.

"With me, prisoner. Let's go." Hadvar motioned for her to follow.

It was a split second decision but she had felt safer with Hadvar and followed him into the keep. They were the only ones to make it inside. Hadvar offered to cut her bindings off. With the binds off he told her to look for a weapon.

"I am no fighter." She protested.

"You are one today." He replied.

She looked at him, worried about taking up a weapon for the first time with the intent of harming others.

"Look. I'll keep you safe the best I can, but take a sword just in case."

Reluctantly Ayeera picked a sword off the weapon rack.

"Give that sword a few swings, try to get a feel for it."

It was heavier then she would've liked. She swung it a bit too hard and almost lost her balance.

"Careful now. You don't need to put that much effort into the swing until you can properly handle it."

She sheathed the sword and they moved down the hall. They heard voices from the next room.

"Stormcloaks. Maybe we can reason with them." Hadvar suggested.

"That'd be preferable."

Hadvar walked through the door first. She stayed back.

The Stormcloaks readied their weapons as soon as they spotted the Legion armor. Hadvar barely had enough time to get his own weapon ready to parry an attack. He countered and delivered a blow to one of the Stormcloaks.

Ayeera unsheathed her sword and stood where she was, paralyzed. They hadn't seen her and she had to force herself into the room.

She flanked the other one, thrusting her sword into the rebel's back. The Stormcloak fell to her knees screaming but Ayeera couldn't bring herself to finish it. Hadvar looked over at her. She was backing away. He looked down at the Stormcloak and planted his sword into her neck.

"It's okay." He said trying to calm her down.

"I...I took a life." She said looking at the sword covered in blood, her voice trembling.

"No, you didn't. You have to learn end it, otherwise you're just making them suffer."

She nodded to him. She was not ready for this. It was all new to her and there was so much of it. If she got out of this place alive it would be a miracle.

Every fray they entered Ayeera couldn't explain how but she managed to stay out of the enemies' sight allowing her the advantage of blindsiding them.

* * *

Eventually the duo found the way out. It seemed as if the dragon was waiting for them to leave the tunnels before it flew overhead. It disappeared into the mountains hopefully to never return.

Hadvar turned to her. "You did well considering this was your first time holding a sword."

"I wish I wouldn't have needed to use it."

"There will be a lot more killing like that in the months to come. The war's far from over if Ulfric managed to escape." Hadvar started walking down the path. "Anyways I'm glad you came with me I'm sure I wouldn't have survived without you."

"You did most of the work. I just got lucky."

"You gave me a reason to survive. And I'm sorry for how things went back there. I know you must hold some resentment towards the Empire for what happened but the Empire is the only thing that stands between the Dominion and Skyrim. I hope you'll consider going to Solitude and joining up we could really use someone like you. Don't worry you'd get proper training."

Ayeera didn't say anything, she kept walking.

They came across a set of stones and Hadvar explained their importance. She examined each stone and stopped at the Thief stone. A beam of light descended upon the stone.

"Thief eh? It's never too late to take charge of your own fate you know." Hadvar commented.

* * *

They made it to Riverwood and Hadvar called out to his uncle.

"Hadvar? What are you doing here? Are you on leave from...? Shor's bones what happened to you? And who's this?"

"She's a friend. Saved my life in fact. Let's talk inside."

"Alright I'll have Sigrid fix you two something to eat."

Ayeera followed them inside.

"Sigrid, we have company." Alvor called to his wife.

"Hadvar! We've been so worried about you. Please sit down and I'll get you something to eat."

Ayeera nodded to the matron of the house and took a seat at the end of the table. Hadvar told them about the ambush on the Stormcloaks, the dragon showing up right before Ulfric Stormcloak was to be executed, and how they had escaped. Though it seemed almost impossible, they believed him.

Alvor turned to her after Hadvar finished telling the story. "Any friend of Hadvar's is a friend of mine. I'm glad to help in anyway I can. But we need your help. Riverwood is vulnerable unless we get more soldiers. We need you to go to Whiterun and tell Jarl Balgruuf we need aid. Please will you do this?"

Ayeera paused for a brief second before replying. "I'll go. Though I am new to Skyrim and I do not know the way."

"It's just over the hill to the north. Just follow the road, you can't miss it. And thank you. It means a lot to this village."

Alvor got up and headed back out to his forge.

She looked at Hadvar. "What will you do now?"

"I'll lay up here for awhile then I'll report back to Solitude. You really should consider going there. After you take the message to Whiterun you can take a carriage from there."

"I'll have to think about it." She answered not wanting to give a definitive yes or no.

"Of course I understand. But I'm sure you'll make the right decision in the end."

Ayeera stood up and packed some foodstuffs into a sack. She thanked them for their hospitality and left.

The sun had set but the light from the moon was enough to illuminate the night. Ayeera had no plan as to what she would do after Whiterun but she knew one thing for sure. She was done fighting.


	3. A Ride Out

She had to admit that this felt wrong.

Not just stowing away in the back of a wagon but also for not delivering the message to the Jarl. It wasn't that she didn't care about the people of Whiterun she just didn't want to get involved in the politics of Skyrim.

She had stayed at The Bannered Mare overnight and left the following morning with what little coin and supplies she had. Since she didn't have the money to pay for passage, she had jumped into the back of a cart carrying cargo.

A canvas covered her and the crates, allowing her to feel safe from the world. That which she could not see could also not see her. The two Nords were discussing the state of Skyrim.

"Jarl Balgruuf will do what he must to protect his hold. We needn't worry about the Stormcloaks." One of them was saying.

"Have you not heard? There is a greater threat in Skyrim these days. A dragon was seen in the mountains."

"A dragon? That's ridiculous. No one's seen a dragon in millenia. If there is one in Skyrim then where did it come from? Why has it not been seen until now?"

"How in Oblivion should I know? I'm just thinking it'd be wise to keep an eye on the skies."

"How about you keep your eyes on the road and wake me when we get there."

The Nord driving the cart gave a derisive snort at the other's dismissal of his advice but didn't say anything more.

Ayeera started thinking about recent events. She certainly didn't want to travel alone anymore. Nor did she want to raise a weapon against anyone ever again. And the guilt she felt about leaving Whiterun without speaking with the Jarl first was gnawing on her.

_I barely made it out of Helgen alive, surely they would understand my desire to get as far away from that place as I can. The Jarl will hear about it soon enough and he'd send help to the village right away. No one will die because of me...again._

She began to formulate a plan on what to do when they reached their destination, wherever it might be. Judging from the cargo, she was heading to a place with horses. A homestead maybe or even another city.

Regardless of the kind of place she ended up at she'd need to earn some money. The few trade skills she had had paid for her food and shelter while she was on the road after her village was raided.

Eventually she hoped to book passage out of Skyrim. Had she known about the civil war here she would have avoided traveling so far north. She was not suited to be in so hostile a province.

Thinking she had a good idea of what she'll do when they stopped, she began to relax a bit more and enjoy the slower pace of the day.

* * *

It felt like she had been on the cart for a few hours which would put the time at around noon. Quietly she found her pack and pulled out an apple. The cart hit a divet in the road and the apple fell out of her hand and rolled off the cart. _Just my luck._ She thought.

"Ah good you're awake. Have a nice nap?"

"No. Thanks to you're driving. Hey what kind of food did you pack?"

"There're some seasoned venison steaks in the back. Should be some mead too. We'll stop soon. The horses could use a rest."

This was something she hadn't foreseen.

She guessed they wouldn't take kindly to her sneaking in with the cargo and getting a free ride.

Not knowing how much time she had before they stopped was just the start of her worries. If she was found they might turn her in or perhaps they'd just leave her on the road.

If she ran now she'd be lost with no sense of her surroundings. Maybe if she pleaded with them and told them about what she had been through they'd sympathize with her and let her stay. The decision didn't really make itself but she'd just have to hope they were in a forgiving mood.

A few minutes later the cart came to a stop. She heard them jump off the cart. They were still conversing with each other and one of them was moving towards the rear of the carriage.

She tried to focus on what she'd say when he discovered her. Or maybe she shouldn't say anything at all. She had to make up her mind quick because she could see his silhouette through the canvas.

"Hey! Who in the name of Talos are you?!" He shouted.


	4. A Pair of Stones

Ayeera opened her mouth to explain herself when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Doesn't matter who we are. What matters is that you step aside and let us confiscate your shipment. You do that and we won't have a problem." The voice was that of a Dunmer.

"Thieving bastards!" The Nord by the cart walked away.

Ayeera cursed her luck. What was she to do now?

The Dark Elf didn't indicate that he was going to kill them but she couldn't know their intentions.

She lifted the canvas a bit to see what was going on. From what she could see there were five of them. They were wearing masks and were armed with daggers, swords, and bows. They had bound the Nords' hands and had them kneeling on the side of the road.

She couldn't hear them talking but saw the Dark Elf looking at someone and pointing towards the wagon. There was no time to weigh her options, one of them was coming over to check the cargo. A decision had to be made now.

She slid her way to the end of the wagon and dropped out. Crouching at the back of the wagon she looked towards the forest. It wasn't as dense as she would've liked but hopefully they wouldn't feel the need to pursue her.

Taking a deep breath she dashed out from behind the cart. The bandit going to check on the cargo jumped back at the sight of her.

As she entered the forest she heard laughing. Without looking back she kept running deeper into the woods. She didn't know the terrain, didn't know where she was heading, or even where the nearest settlement was but her only worry was getting away from the road.

She hadn't been running long, before she found herself staring up at a mountain.

As far as she knew they weren't coming for her. Regardless she thought it was best just to keep moving.

Not fancying the idea of spending the night in the woods she was determined to find some form of civilization. She headed in a direction hoping she'd find some clue as to where the closest city or village was.

If she hadn't just been in a seemingly dangerous situation she might have enjoyed her trek through the forest.

* * *

After an hour of walking, her legs began to ache. She had kept the mountain range to her right and decided to climb up a ways to find a safe place to rest for a while. Finding a suitable spot she laid down and stared up at the sky. The words of the Nord returned to her about keeping an eye to the skies.

_That dragon looked right at me._ She recalled. _As if it recognized me._ That was her last thought before sleep overtook her.

A scuffle from below woke her. The sun was setting, soon it would be behind the mountain. Fortunately darkness was no problem for her. She got up and looked to see what had disturbed her.

A pack of wolves had taken down a deer. They weren't aware of her presence and though it might be risky to try to slip away it was even riskier to stick around.

She crept along the ridge looking for a way down that didn't involve climbing.

She hadn't realized but as she was looking for a path she had gotten further from the ground. She was far enough away from the wolves now that if she climbed down from where she was they wouldn't notice her.

Slowly lowering herself onto the cliff side her arms began to tense up. _One step at a time._ She thought trying to focus.

Halfway down she got overconfident. Thinking she could pick up the pace she lost her footing.

Fear flooded her mind and she began to panic. Without thinking she dropped off the face of the cliff.

She had judged the distance to the ground poorly and hadn't noticed the terrain below was on a slope. Her landing was awkward, her ankle twisted, her balance was lost and she tumbled down the hill.

She wanted to scream out in pain but she bit her lip. She was in enough pain as it was, no need to add running from wolves to the situation. Checking her right ankle she saw that the bone had popped out-of-place.

Trying to stand sent searing pain through her body.

Collapsing to the ground she began to sob. _Why is this happening to me? I've done nothing so wrong as to deserve this kind of torture. Please, if only to avoid anymore suffering, end it now._

She laid where she was, beaten by fate, she gave up.

However, unknown to her there was a path leading to a place holding a blessing that could potentially save her life many times over just a few short steps away. But she didn't get up nor did she try. She just closed her eyes and waited.

For death, a helping hand, or for nothing; whichever, came along first.

* * *

She opened her eyes. The last rays of sun were gone. It seemed nothing would find her this night. Even something as easy as death wouldn't come for her.

_Just as well._ She thought.

She sat up and using her hands to compensate for her busted ankle she started to crawl. A few paces later she found a beaten path. She followed it, hoping it would lead to someplace hospitable. Slowly moving up the path she saw that it would become too steep for her to continue. She got off the path and headed in a different direction.

Clawing her way through the brush she eventually found herself looking upon a ring of standing stones surrounding a central one.

Bringing herself closer to examine the stone she stood up and used the stone to support herself. She saw that it was like the stones she had seen the day before, after leaving Helgen.

The stone depicted a hooded figure. The inscription on the stone read "Those under the sign of The Shadow may conceal themselves from the world." As had happened before a beam descended upon the stone and she received the blessing.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment she continued on. A trail led down from the stone. Carefully she descended down the path. At the bottom was another stone.

This one was bigger and as black as the void. Moving around it she looked up at it.

There were two illustrations engraved upon the stone. One was of a bird with its wings spread and above that was a circle. Not paying it any mind she went away from it and what she found next was the most welcome thing she had seen all day: a road. At the end of that road was a gate with guards posted in front of it.

Perhaps she had turned over a new leaf and things would start looking up for her in this new city.


	5. A Corrupt City

"Listen miss. If you want to enter the city you'll have to pay the visitor's tax."

Ayeera couldn't believe this. Here she was covered in dirt, in torn clothes, and leaning on a broken branch due to a dislocated ankle and she was being asked to pay for entrance into the city.

"Fine." She reached down to her side only to find her pack was missing. It must've fallen off when she fell from the cliff. Looking back at the guard her face told him all he needed to know.

"I'll get you the money. I swear. Please just let me in. I won't cause any trouble. Please..."

The guard looked over at his friend.

"What do you think, Jyrlon? Should we let her in?"

"Might as well. It's not like anyone else pays the tax."

"Looks like it's your lucky day traveler."

_That's just salt on the wound._ She thought

"But here's a warning. I don't care how they do things in the other holds but here in the Rift our citizens follow the law." He unlocked the gate for her and returning to his post added. "Welcome to Riften."

Ayeera walked through the gate but before she was out of earshot she heard the other guard say. "She's in for a rude awakening."

Ayeera limped along the stone path, the smell of stagnant sewer water entered her nostrils. The wooden guard rails on the side of the walkways were rotted. This had to be the most poorly maintained city she'd ever been in.

Without money for a room at the local tavern she had to settle for a bed under the stars. She found her way to a grassy area away from the central part of the city. She laid down by a statue and was dead asleep in seconds.

* * *

"Lass...Lass! C'mon lass, wake up."

Ayeera opened her eyes in time to see a man nudge her bad ankle with his foot.

She let out a hiss as she looked up at the man.

"Oh I'm so sorry lass. I didn't notice. Your ankle's in a bad way."

"Thanks for reminding me." She said through clenched teeth still agonizing from the pain.

"You need healing. C'mon I'll take you to our city's temple." He extended a hand and helped her up. Unexpectedly he scooped her up and carried her in his arms. "Name's Brynjolf by the way."

Ayeera looked up at his face but didn't say anything.

"I understand. Names are one of the few things a person can truly own."

She had no idea what he was talking about.

He continued talking. "It's not wise to give your name out to just anyone but it's the least I can do after causing you harm."

"So you think a name makes up for kicking me?"

"Well it's not just any name. You drop that name in certain parts of town and you'd be surprised just what people would be willing to do for you."

She was curious about this man who had awakened her so rudely. "Does everyone hold you in such high regards?"

"Not everyone, but those who don't, know not to cross me."

She was beginning to get a better picture of what kind of man this Byrnjolf was.

They made it to the temple. The doors were open and he brought her right in.

"Brynjolf? Haven't seen you in here in ages." The temple priest said inviting them in.

"Not here for myself Maramal."

"Oh and who's this?" The priest asked indicating Ayeera.

"She's a friend."

He looked at Brynjolf quizzically. "Uh huh..."

"Her ankle's in a bad way. She needs some healing."

Looking at her ankle he cringed. "That must hurt. How did it happen? Never mind I don't want to know." He said retracting his question. "Bring her downstairs and I'll take a look at her."

Maramal led them to the basement and motioned for Brynjolf to place her on a table.

"I'll just be outside if you need anything." Ayeera thanked him and he turned to leave.

"Close the doors on your way out. If you please."

Brynjolf left the temple closing the doors behind him.

Maramal turned to her and pulled up a chair. He began to examine her ankle.

"So you're an acquaintance of Brynjolf's?" He asked her.

"Uh sure." She winced as he touched the ankle. "What's his reputation around town?" She asked attempting to distract herself from the pain.

"Oh everyone knows him and who he works for. He thinks he's suave and shady but if you know how Riften works you can see that he's as transparent as the air in his head."

She smiled at the slight insult.

"Okay, the good news is I can fix your ankle. The bad news is that the pain will be intense for a short time while I prepare the spell." He walked over to a cupboard and pulled out a cloth. Handing it to her he told her to put it in her mouth.

Taking the cloth she bunched it up and set it between her teeth.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Okay on the count of three. One...two" And he yanked her foot hard.

A deep growl rumbled in her throat. The pain was excruciating. Her claws dug into the table, her eyes were shut tight, and her gums started bleeding as she bit through the cloth. As quick as the pain had come it was gone. Maramal started the healing.

When she finally caught her breath she thanked him. She would be forever grateful to him.

"You're very welcome." He walked over and grabbed a cloth to wipe his hands with. "Now about payment for services rendered."

She looked at him. There was no hint of kidding on his face. _He's seriously asking for payment?_

"Oh...uh I'm sorry but I lost my belongings on my way to Riften." She explained.

"And I'm just supposed to believe a friend of Brynjolf's has no money?"

"I just met him fifteen minutes ago."

"Very well, perhaps we can come to some other...arrangement." He said as he eyed her up and down.

"No...no I'll get the money I promise." She begged as she realized what he was suggesting.

He took a step towards her and she scooted back on the table. Before he could take another step they heard the temple doors slam shut.

Stepping back he whispered to her. "You tell anyone about this and I'll have you locked away."

She nodded her compliance.

A Nord woman came down the stairs and Ayeera noticed Maramal tense up.

"Ah Lady Black-Briar. A pleasure to see you this morning."

"I'm sure it is, Maramal." She seemed to look right through him as she addressed him.

The woman certainly had a commanding presence. She was dressed in fine clothes, which made Ayeera feel more ragged than she really was.

She was confident and in control. Ayeera could tell this woman was extremely important, not just in Riften, but all of Skyrim.

The woman looked at her and she realized that she had been staring and quickly turned away.

"Who's this?" She asked Maramal.

"Nobody, she needed healing, and was just leaving." Maramal glared at her and Ayeera had absolutely no objections. But before she could get off the table the lady stopped her.

"I don't think this young lady appreciates being called a nobody."

Maramal opened his mouth to explain further but the lady raised her hand silencing him. He scowled, apparantly he didn't like being treated like a nobody.

"Has this fine man of the cloth been treating you well?" She asked her.

Looking her in the eyes Ayeera replied. "Yes, ma'am."

She smirked. "I'll bet. You may go now."

"Thank you, ma'am." Ayeera said as she got off the table. Her ankle was sore but it was a great deal better than it had been. She hurried up the stairs and out of the temple.

Leaving the temple's front yard she hung a right onto the walkway.

"Hey! Lass." Someone called to her from behind.

She turned around to see Brynjolf jogging up to her.

"How's the ankle?" He asked.

"Sore." She said bluntly with a hint of disdain in her voice.

"Well it looks a lot better then it did."

"Do you want something? Or are you just going to ask me pointless questions?" She asked annoyed, still trying to get over the incident in the temple.

"Well now that you mention it, there is something you could help me with. I'll level with you. I noticed that you're a little light on septims so I have a proposition for you."

"Wait, you knew I didn't have any money and left me to pay for the healing?"

"That fetcher asked for payment?! Don't worry lass I'll talk to him."

"No, don't."

"Don't worry about it. I am a gentlemen after all and thus I must make this right."

"No! Just leave it alone." She said sternly.

"Alright. If you insist. I'll drop it."

"What's this proposition you had for me?"

"It's a simple job. Just a little lockpicking and a bit of pocket picking. Should be easy for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh I didn't mean to imply that...it's not that I thought you were a..." He stammered, flustered.

"What? A thief?" She smiled finding humor in his discomfort.

"I just meant that it's a simple job. Anyways if you're interested come find me later in the market plaza. There's a bit of coin in it for you."

And with that he left her to think about it. She did need the coin and it would be good to have a friend in this city.

She hadn't been in this city a day and already she was sick of it.


	6. A Better Opportunity

Ayeera had been roaming around the city pondering the job Brynjolf had offered her when she heard a commotion coming from an alley. Even though the last time she had investigated voices she ended up in an execution line, she couldn't help herself.

Peaking around the corner she saw a man and a woman arguing. Testing her luck she crept into the alleyway and crouched behind a stack of crates to hear them better.

"Look Shadr, all I care about is the gold. Everything else is your problem." The woman was saying.

Ayeera couldn't quite place it but she sounded familiar.

"But how was I supposed to know the shipment would get robbed." The man named Shadr replied.

_Shipment?_ Now she was even more intrigued.

"Well if you had kept your plans to yourself, maybe nothing would have happened to it."

"Wait are you saying you robbed it?"

She didn't respond.

"You bitch! That shipment was going to be the start of my business. I'll have you arrested for this!"

The woman laughed and Ayeera immediately knew where she had heard her before.

"You and I both know that you don't have any evidence. And even if you did, do you really think the guards would throw me in jail?"

Ayeera knew she could help this man, for surely the shipment they talked about was the one that she had stowed away in and this woman was the one who had laughed as she ran into the forest. And if she had been in this man's place she'd hope that someone would be willing to speak up and help her.

She walked out from behind the crates and waited for them to notice her. When they did, both of them just stared at her.

Finally the woman spoke. "What're you looking at, cat?"

"A thief." Ayeera said bluntly.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "There are a lot of people in this city that wouldn't take kindly to such an accusation."

"I saw you rob that shipment. It's more than an accusation." Technically she was bluffing but she was sure that the armor this woman was wearing was the same as those who had robbed the carriage and the voice matched the laugh she heard when she had ran into the forest.

The woman studied her for a second. "You were that stow away weren't you? Fine. This isn't worth my time anyways. Shadr you're off the hook. Just don't make the same mistake again." And she left.

Shadr turned to Ayeera. "Thank you. I didn't think anyone in this city cared about me."

"You're welcome but I'm not from here."

"Ah, well that makes more sense. I don't have much but if you ever need a horse you're more than welcome to borrow one from the stables, no charge."

"Thank you. Much appreciated."

"I guess I'll be on my way then. Take care of yourself, this city can be difficult for newcomers."

Ayeera smiled as he left the alley. She was proud of herself for helping a stranger in need. Also what was more uplifting was she had just earned herself a means to get out of Skyrim. She'd just need some supplies and equipment and she'd be all set.

* * *

She was heading to the market plaza to meet with Brynjolf when she was grabbed from behind. She was thrown into a side alley and pinned up against a building. She closed her eyes expecting to be hit.

When nothing happened she opened her eyes and looked straight into the eyes of a bulky Nord, fitted in all heavy armor. He was grinning but that disappeared quickly.

"A little bird told me you're new in town." His voice was deep, matching his intimidating physique. "It also told me to offer you some advice." He paused. "I'm Maul, servant of Maven Black-Briar. She has all of Riften in her pocket. With a snap of her fingers she can have you locked up for the rest of your miserable life. And if that isn't enough to get the message across then you should also know that she has the Dark Brotherhood watching her back, the Thieves Guild at her beck and call, and the Jarl under her thumb. You'd be wise to mind your own business while you're in town."

Ayeera nodded, she didn't dare speak, lest she upset this man.

He let go of her and stepped back. "I'll let you in on a little secret. No one in Riften cares about you. So it'd be in your best interest to not care about anyone but yourself."

She didn't know what to say. She just nodded her head.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You're pathetic. You won't last two days in this city. You should just leave, you don't belong here."

"I'll keep that in mind." She was incensed by the insult but wasn't in any position to do anything about it.

Maul shook his head, clearly unimpressed with her response. "Yeah, you do that." He said condescendingly. He walked away leaving her in the alley to think about what he had said.

She didn't want to believe that what he had said was true. But she did start to think it was suspicious that Brynjolf had helped her then asked her to do a job for him. Was she being set up?

_What did Maramal say? If you know how Riften works then Byrnjolf is as transparent as the air._

She knew she didn't have a firm grasp on how things worked in this city. The job did sound sketchy, maybe she should rethink her decision to help him. Though she did still need the money.

_Perhaps I should talk to him first before deciding anything._

* * *

She arrived at the market plaza and saw Brynjolf standing by his stall. The plaza was vastly populated with townspeople conversing and bartering. Brynjolf spotted her and waved her over.

"I knew you'd show up." He seemed excited to see her. "You ready to get started?"

"Yeah, but first I need to know why I'm doing this?"

"I assume it's because you need the money."

"That's not what I meant."

"I'd like to get this started as soon as possible. So if you're done asking questions here's the plan. I'm going to get everyone's attention and while they're distracted you will be sneaking over to Madesi's stand." He indicated the stand across from his. "Once you get the strongbox open take the ring that's inside and drop it into the pocket of Brand-Shei." He nodded toward a Dunmer on the other side of the plaza. "That's all there is to it. Sound simple enough?"

"Yes, but why ask me to do this?" She asked still wanting to know why he had offered her the job.

"I just have a good feeling about you, lass."

The answer didn't satisfy her but her gut told her she could trust him.

"Now, you ready?"

"Yeah I'm good."

She walked away as Brynjolf started shouting for everyone to gather around to see what he was advertising. She slipped past the people making their way to his stand. They didn't pay any attention to her.

Walking behind Madesi's stand she crouched and slid the compartment door open and got started with the lockbox. It was just a matter of trial and error looking for the sweet spot. Once she found it, she kept the pick in place as best she could and inserted the torsion wrench to rotate the tumbler.

She gave a slight grin as she heard the satisfying click of the lock. She took the ring and stood up. Looking around she was relieved no one noticed her. Brynjolf still had everyone's attention. Now all she had to do was locate Brand-Shei.

She moved towards the crowd. She wasn't paying any attention to what Brynjolf was saying but her ears perked up when she heard him say "Brand-Shei". She looked towards Brynjolf and saw him looking at the Dark Elf. He was sitting on a crate next to his stall, completely distracted by what Brynjolf was displaying.

Judging the best way to go about this she snuck behind the stall and crept closer to Brand-Shei trying her best to keep quiet. Within arm's reach of him she carefully placed the ring inside his pocket. Backing away slowly she stood up and met Brynjolf's eyes and gave him a nod.

Brynjolf finished talking as she walked out of the plaza so to not look suspicious when everyone returned to what they were doing.

* * *

"Look's like I chose the right woman for the job." He praised her as she returned to get her cut.

She still had mixed feelings about him but as he placed the bag of septims in her hand, she felt a sense of camaraderie with him.

"Look lass I don't know why you're here in Riften but if you're interested, you're welcome to my organization's place of business. If you like what you see then perhaps we'd hire you on as an associate member. You work hard and eventually you'll work your way up. Though I should warn you we've hit a bit of a rough patch recently but fresh faces are always welcome and there's more gold where this came from. What do you say?"

She thought for a second. "The gold does sound tempting, but I don't know." This seemed familiar to her.

"Well just in case you do make up your mind, we make our home down in the Ratway. In a tavern called The Ragged Flagon come find me there and we'll talk about your future."

"That's the name of your home?" She asked smiling.

"Hey, it's a gritty place for gritty people. That reminds me, you should get yourself some armor and a weapon before you go down there."

She didn't like the sound of that.

"Regardless of what you decide. Take care of yourself lass." Brynjolf patted her on the shoulder and left her to do as she wished.

As far as she could tell he had been straight with her from the beginning. She did still need money and as it turns out she had a knack for this kind of work. There was no reason to think that he was leading her on. Telling herself she wasn't going to commit to anything she decided to at least see what his organization was all about.


	7. Confidence and Consequence

Ayeera closed the door, shutting out all light from the Ratway. The place had a strong musty stench that made it hard for her to breathe. The sound of water dripping could be heard throughout the sewer system. And were it not for her natural night vision she would not have even been able to see three feet ahead of her.

Though she was in an unfamiliar, dank, and dreary place she was comfortable and confident. Perhaps in large part due to the leather armor she was wearing.

In her previous life back in Elsweyr she had occasionally filled requests from those who preffered their armor custom made. It only made sense for her to make her own set of armor. She had also purchased a small iron dagger at the recommendation of the blacksmith.

She started down the corridor slowly, hugging the wall and minding where she stepped. There was no telling what could be lurking in the darkness.

Making it to the end of the first hallway she came across a once burning fire pit. It was cold, but that didn't mean those who had used it were no longer around. She moved on, wary of what might be living in this place.

The path she was on led her to a junction where it branched off into three directions.

_How does Brynjolf figure I can find this place with no indication of where it is?_ She thought frustrated.

She chose to go down the path on the left first. Reaching the end of the short passageway she entered a room. There were two bed rolls laid out and other telltale signs were strewn about that suggested people were still living here. Assuming those who would choose to live in a sewer wouldn't be the friendliest of folks she thought it best not to stick around too long. Though she was curious to see what kind of things these people had.

She found a satchel near one of the bed rolls. Picking it up she opened it. The odor that permeated from it was enough to make her gag. It was full of decaying rotten food. She threw it across the room.

"How can people live like this?" She whispered.

The only thing she had found of value were a few septims. Returning to the junction she began down another hallway. It was longer than the previous one.

There were multiple small alcoves on each side of the path. Each one had a barred hole in the floor. She went over to one and looked down through it. There was nothing to see but she could hear a distant sound like a stick being rapped on a stone surface. Backing out of the alcove she continued down the hallway.

It opened up into a much larger room that descended onto a lower level. She climbed down the stairs and looked around the room for another path to take. Finding one she headed for it.

Turning around the corner she was met by a gate. She reached out for the handle and began to turn it. By the time she noticed the resistance it was too late.

A rope had been tied to the handle on the other side and she had just triggered what the other end of the rope was attached to. She stood where she was frozen, fearing the consequences of what she had just done.

She stared down the hallway, her eyes glued to the end, waiting to see what might be coming around that corner.

Sure enough a glow began to emanate from around the corner. She crouched and backed away slowly still keeping an eye on the glow as it grew brighter. A man turned into the corridor, a torch in one hand and a sword in the other.

Afraid of what this man might do to her if he caught her, she threw all caution to the wind, and ran. All the way back to the junction and into the last passage.

Running down the passage her foot got caught in something and she fell flat on her face. Rolling over she saw that she had stepped right into a bear trap. Luckily she was wearing leather boots. The trap punctured through the leather and into her skin but other than that she was fine. That was until she noticed the light shining from underneath the door next to her.

"Sounds like a skeever got itself caught." Came a voice from the other side.

Her eyes opened wide and she began to panic. Frantically she tried to unlatch the trap. It only budged a little bit but not enough to free herself. She tried to pull her leg out of her boot but it was too tight and as she tried she could feel the punctures in her skin beginning to rip open.

She heard the sound of locks being finagled with. Her mind racing to find a way out of this, she remembered the blessing she had received. A calmness fell over her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"Shadow, hide me." She whispered.

Opening her eyes she no longer saw her leg in the trap. It was a weird feeling. Knowing where her body was but not being able to see it.

A second later the door opened and the light blinded her. Squinting she saw the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway. She felt for the hilt of her dagger and gripped it calmly but firmly.

The man was seemingly confused as he looked at the trap.

"Damn, little bastard must've gotten away somehow."

He crouched down and examined the trap. He was mere inches away from her leg. She dared not breathe nor move a muscle.

Looking at the release latch he must've noticed it had been tampered with because he stood back up.

"Or it could've been stolen! Filthy thieves." He stormed off down the way she had came from. "I'll cut every one of their fingers off!"

The blessing wore off and Ayeera started breathing again. To say she was relieved would've been an understatement. She wasn't out of harm's way yet though.

She pulled out her dagger and used it as leverage on the release latch. Freeing herself she stood up and continued on her way. The passageway twisted and turned but it remained the only way for her to go.

The doubts crept back into her mind about Brynjolf. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was more that she didn't trust herself. Didn't trust that she could make good judgments anymore. But here she was anyways, in a sewer on her way to a place full of shady characters and why? For the same reason she was uncertain about doing this. She needed to be with other people, for her own sake.

Coming around a bend she beheld an unbelievably beautiful sight. In the room ahead of her moonlight shown down from above. There were flowers and fungi growing around a tree stump and butterflies flitting about. She didn't know how this was possible but she took it as a sign that the doubts she had were unwarranted.

After fully marvelling at the sight she moved on and in the next room found a door with a sign reading "The Ragged Flagon" and on the side of the door was a marking engraved into the stone.

_This is it._ She thought.

She opened the door and entered.


End file.
